5.2 : Leave Request
Working time self-services are the quick win functionalities you can enable. Getting rid of the paper flow is perhaps a myth, but with SAP standard you can web-enable the leave request procedure and perhaps even empower the procedure with an approval workflow.
The first quick win in HR is the leave request that you can enable without heavy configuration in SAP NetWeaver Portal.
Processing Processes 5.2.1
In this configuration step, Processing Processes, we will go through the different configuration steps for enabling the leave request.
Create Rule Groups
In this step, we are creating groupings in order to have different “placeholders,”
which will enable the application of different business rules.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service
• Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Processing Processes • Create Rule Groups IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_030
Transaction Code S_FAD_62000011
This IMG activity is devided in two steps:
Create rule groups.
1.
Table name: V_HRWEB_RULE_GRP
In this step, you first create the relevant entries, as illustrated in Figure 5.8, to distinguish the different group of employees and workers that you can have in the business requirements. Later in the configuration, this will help provide different sets of data or dedicate specific controls to each group.
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
Creating the Rule Groups Figure 5.8
Adjust feature WEBMO
2. —Defi ne Rule Group for Customizing Tables in Web
Environment.
In this step, you must advise the system when and for whom the groups are relevant. To do so, you use the decision tree feature (illustrated in Figure 5.9).
Feature (Decision Tree) WEBMO Figure 5.9
Define Processing Processes for Each Rule Group
In this configuration step, you are making the mapping between the processing processes against each rule group that you just configured.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Processing Processes • Define Processing Processes for Each Rule Group
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_032 Transaction Code S_AEN_10000452
Table Name V_PTARQ_TPROCESS
As illustrated in Figure 5.10, the following options are available:
Record Partial-Day/Absences in: Hours and/or Clock Times
E E
Take Account of Ongoing Requests
E E
Check Includes Unposted Requests
E
E : If you tick this box, the system also
checks new requests that are still open, change requests, and cancellations that have not yet been stored in the InfoTypes and have the status “approved”
or “sent” in the document database.
Remaining Leave Without Unposted Requests
E
E : If you tick this box, the
sys-tem will not include requests that have not yet been posted when it calculates the time account statuses. The requests that have not been posted have the status “approved,” “sent,” or “error” in the document database.
IT
E
E 2001/2002 Authorization Check Employees
E
E : Deactivate Authorization Check: If you tick this box, the system checks the employee’s read authorization for the absences (2001) and attendances (2002) InfoTypes when the employee is using the leave request or team calendar web application.
Managers: Deactivate Authorization Check
E
E : If you tick this box, the
system checks the manager’s read authorization for the absences (2001) and attendances (2002) InfoTypes when the manager is using the leave request or team calendar web application.
Determine next Agent
E
E : You set up how the next agent of a leave request or
clock-in/out correction is to be determined.
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
Processing Processes for Each Rule Group Figure 5.10
Specify Processing Processes for Types of Leave
In this step, you defi ne the processing processes per type of leave. The assumption is that Time Management is already in place and that the absences and attendances types have already been defi ned.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Processing Processes • Specify Processing Processes for Types of Leave
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_050 Transaction Code S_FAD_62000013
These attendance and absence types are defined in the Time Management table T554S—Attendance and Absence Types. As this table has many views, you can use table T554S to view the full overview of this table.
Step 1 is to define absences and to process processes. You do that in table V_T554S_
WEB. Here, you are setting up the following values, as illustrated in Figure 5.11:
Rule Group
E
E : Assign the rule group ID as defined earlier.
PS Grouping
E
E : Assign the personnel subarea grouping for attendance and absence types.
Sort number
E
E : If needed, by default, the sorting number is 001 to begin with.
Start
E
E and end date: Set the validity start date for this configuration entry.
Start date in the past
E
E :
Processing permitted to recalculation limit
E
E : Select this radio button for
the system to check the periods in which employees are permitted to create, change, or delete an absence of this type retroactively, when the start date of the absence is in the past.
Processing not permitted
E
E : Select this radio button if you want to disable
the start date in the past.
Retroactive processing permitted in period
E
E : Select this radio button to
enable the retroactive processing permission for a period you determine.
Start day is the current day
E
E :
Processing is permitted
E
E : If the start day is the current day, select this radio button.
Processing is not permitted
E
E : Select this radio button to prohibit starting
on the current day.
Start date in the future:
E E
Unrestricted processing is permitted
E
E : Select this radio button to enable
unconditional leave request in the future.
Processing not permitted
E
E : Select this radio button to prohibit a start date
in the future.
Processing permitted within period
E
E : Select this radio button to allow the
start date in the future within a period you determine.
Employee Self-Services Configuration 5
Workflow template
E
E :
Process Request Using Workflow
E
E : Flag this checkbox if you want to enable
the workflow between the leave requester and the approver. Set the work-flow IDs to be used. Upon activating this workwork-flow option, the system will provide additional fields where you can set the Workflow IDs to be used in this process.
User Interface elements
E
E : The options in this section allow you to customize
the UI. Tick each box to enable or disable the functionality:
Display field for next agent
E
E : Let the user decide who is the next agent. Yes
or No? Or not required?
Use Notes
E
E : Enable Notepad in the Leave Request screen.
Field selection for additional data
E
E : The system allows the display of
additional fields for each attendance/absence type in the web application.We can set the additional field to be displayed to the end users in this section.
Explanation of Absence Type
E
E : Assign a detailed description for the
explana-tion for the absence type.
System response:
E E
Requests have to be approved
E
E : Tick this box if the approval process has to
be enabled.
EEs Not permitted to submit requests
E
E : Tick this box to prohibit employees
from submitting requests.
No changes to Leave permitted
E
E : Tick this box to specify that the system
checks for each type of leave whether employees are permitted to change absences that are stored in the Absences InfoType (2001).
No deletion of Leave permitted
E
E : Tick this box to specify that the system
checks for each type of leave whether employees are permitted to delete absences that are stored in the Absences InfoType (2001).
In Step 2, you create explanatory texts for absences. If needed, you can create long text explanations for the absences to provide clear communication content to the end user.
Processing Process for Types of Leave Figure 5.11
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
Figure 5.12 illustrates the confi guring entry point for the creation of the explana-tory texts for the absences.
Create Explanatory Texts for Absences Figure 5.12
Confi gure Output of Messages
In this confi guration table, you can confi gure the output messages disclosed to the end user to bypass the unfriendly or technical system messages.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Processing Processes • Confi gure Output of Messages IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_070
Transaction Code S_FAD_62000015
Table Name V_HRWEB_TRS_MESS
Assign the relevant messages in this confi guration table per the business require-ments (this step is optional).
Write Notifi cation Texts
This confi guration step allows you to write the notifi cation texts as required (this step is optional).
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Processing Processes • Write Notification Texts IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_083
Transaction Code S_SLN_44000029
Define Report Variants and Background Processing
In this step, as required by the business requirements, you must first create the selection variant(s) for the following programs:
PTARQEMAIL
E
E (Leave Requests: Send Emails)
RPTARQLIST
E
E (Leave Requests: Check)
RPTARQERR
E
E (Leave Requests: Process Clock In/Out Corrections)
You must then schedule the following programs as background jobs using Transac-tion SE36—Schedule Background Job:
RPTARQEMAIL
E
E (Leave Requests: Send Emails)
RPTARQPOST
E
E (Leave Requests: Post)
RPTARQSTOPWF
E
E (Leave Requests: Complete Current Workflows)
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Processing Processes • Define Report Variants and Background Processing
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_082 Transaction Code S_SLN_44000027
Workflow: Define Method to Execute Universal Worklist Items
In this table, you set the task against the visualization type available, linking the workflow tasks and the applications that are to be launched when a workflow item is executed in the Universal Worklist (UWL):
BSP standard
E E
BSP blueprint
E E
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
iView
E E
Portal component
E E
Portal page
E E
ABAP Web Dynpro
E E
Java Web Dynpro
E E
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Processing Processes • Workfl ow: Defi ne Method to Execute Universal Worklist Item IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_091
Transaction Code S_XEN_65000002
Table Name SWFVT
Caution: This table is cross client.
Table SWFVT
Figure 5.13 : Tasks Visualization
Regarding the leave request (application sap.com/ess~lea), you have two standard
TS12300116 LeaveRequest
E E
TS12300097 LeaveRequest Approver
E E
Tip
Even if correctly maintained, table SWFVT could also generate a SAP NetWeaver Portal dump such as “Invalid argument in Web Dynpro.”
To solve that issue, review and/or apply SAP Note 1480987—JavaScript error “Invalid argument” in Web Dynpro Java iView.
Layout of the Web Application 5.2.2
You can adjust the web application layout according to the business requirements, which helps provide the most user-friendly interface.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Layout of the Web Application
Specify How Leave Is Displayed and Default Values
In this step, as illustrated in Figure 5.14, for each rule group, you configure the following information, besides the obvious start and end date:
Display Previous Leave in Absence Overview up to Maximum:
E E
Start of period
E
E : By default, the value As of Start of Current Calendar Period is set.
Display of leave
E
E : Set the value in years.
Default Values:
E E
Default Next Absence Day
E
E : By default, the next calendar day is set.
Selection Date for Overview of Absences
E
E : By default, Start of the Year
is set.
Calendar display
E
E :
Color display of status of Leave Requests
E
E : Tick this box to enable
high-lighting in different colors.
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Layout of the Web Application • Specify How Leave Is Displayed and Default Values
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_040 Transaction Code S_FAD_62000012
Table Name V_PTARQ_TCONSTR
Specify How Leave Is Displayed and Default Values Figure 5.14
Defi ne Field Selection
Although this step is optional, you can defi ne additional fi elds to be shown in the leave request process. Make the relevant entry in table V_PT_FIELD_SEL as illustrated in Figure 5.15.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Layout of the Web Application • Defi ne Field Selection
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_055 Transaction Code S_AEN_10000316
Additional Field Defi nition Figure 5.15
Adjust the customizing for these fi elds as required (see Figure 5.16).
Customizing for Additional Fields Figure 5.16
The final step is to assign the field selection to types of leave as shown previously.
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
Specify Display of Absence Quotas
Assuming that all relevant absence quotas have been maintained in the Time Man-agement component, not all of them are relevant for display in the Leave Request Overview of Quotas. Some quotas might be used for technical summary reasons or as cumulative fi elds.
In this step, you enable the absence quotas to be displayed in the leave request process as illustrated in Figure 5.17.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Layout of the Web Application • Specify Display of Absence Quotas
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_060 Transaction Code S_FAD_62000014
Table Name V_T556A_WEB
Absence Quotas Display for the Leave Request Figure 5.17
You have two options in regards to the quotas display:
Display untransferred quotas
E
E : Tick this box to specify whether the Leave
Request web application cumulates existing accrual entitlements in addition to exising entitlements. Accrual entitlements have not yet been transferred to the Absence Quota InfoType (2006) .
Total by absence quota type
E
E : Tick this box to specify that all existing data
records of a quota type are to be totaled in the web application.
Specify Display of Attendance Quotas
Assuming that all relevant attendance quotas have been maintained in the Time Management component, not all of them are relevant for display in the Leave Request overview of Quotas. Some quotas might be used for technical summary reasons or just as cumulative fi elds.
In this step, you enable the attendance quotas to be displayed in the leave request process, as illustrated in Figure 5.18.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Leave Request • Layout of the Web Application • Specify Display of Attendance Quotas
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_065 Transaction Code S_PLN_62000236
Table Name V_T556P_WEB
Attendance Quotas Display for the Leave Request Figure 5.18
Employee Self-Services Configuration 5
The additional option, if required, is to tick the box Total by attendance quota type. It specifies that all existing data records of a quota type are to be totaled in the web application.
Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) 5.2.3
As always, standard SAP functionalities can be enriched and/or enhanced thanks to BAdIs. Several BAdIs are available for the leave request process. The next subsections describe two useful BAdIs that you can configure through the IMG.
Tip
Regarding colors in the UI, read the SAP Note 897623—User Exits and BADIs in the Personnel Time Area, which deals with all the BAdIs. This is quite handy as a documenta-tion starting point.
BAdI: Control Processing Processes for Time Management Web Applications You can use this BAdI to control the processing processes of the ESS applications for Personnel Time Management.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) • BAdI: Control Processing Processes for Time Management Web Applications IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_TIMCOR_006
Transaction Code S_PLN_62000023 BAdI Implementation PT_GEN_REQ
The BAdI contains the following standard methods:
Check whether an employee is absent
E E
Read substitute
E E
Find next processor
E E
Check selected processor
E E
Determine default approver and person responsible for employee
E E
Start workflow
E E
Determine email address
E E
Get table with email lists
E E
Filter next agent
E E
Change messages from backend system
E E
BAdI: Control Processing of Leave Requests
You can use this BAdI to enhance and control the processing of the attendances and absences component in many web applications, including the following:
Leave Request
E E
To control processing of leave requests.
Team Calendar
E E
To set the layout of the team calendar in MSS and ESS.
Time Accounts (ESS)
E E
To determine time accounts.
Attendance Overview (MSS)
E E
To adjust the legend.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Leave Request
• Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) • BAdI: Control Processing of Leave Requests
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_080 Transaction Code S_FAD_62000016 BAdI Implementation CL_PT_ARQ_REQ
Working Time
5.3 : Team Calendar
Now that we have covered the configuration for the leave request, let’s move on to the team calendar configuration. SAP is consistent in its approach, so many of the web application configuration tables are the same as for the leave request.
Employee Self-Services Configuration 5
Create Rule Groups 5.3.1
This is the same configuration as illustrated for the leave request, but it is now effective for the team calendar.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Team Calendar • Create Rule Groups
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_030 Transaction Code S_FAD_62000011
Specify Absences
5.3.2 to Be Displayed
This is the same configuration as illustrated for the leave request, but it is now effective for the team calendar.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specific Settings • Working Time • Team Calendar • Specify Absences to Be Displayed IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_MSS_PT_ABS
Transaction Code S_XEN_65000035
Specify Color Display of Absences 5.3.3
In this configuration step, as illustrated in Figure 5.19 and similar to the leave request setup, you set the following information:
Start of period
E
E : Choose when the period starts.
Display of leave
E
E : Choose how the leave should be displayed.
Color display of status of leave requests
E
E : Tick this box to reveal the colors
in the team calendars.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Team Calendar • Specify Color Display of Absences IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_PT_LRQ_051
Transaction Code S_P7H_77000003
Table Name V_PTARQ_TCONSTR
Specify How Leave and Calendar Are Displayed Figure 5.19
Select Employees
5.3.4
In this step, as illustrated in Figure 5.20, you determine which team members are to be displayed in the team calendar based on the rule groups greated previously.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Team Calendar • Select Employees
IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_LRQ_085 Transaction Code S_PLN_62000260
Table Name V_PTREQ_TEAM
Employee Self-Services Confi guration 5
Select Employees Figure 5.20
Define Layout of Team Calendar 5.3.5
In this confi guration step, as illustrated in Figure 5.21, you defi ne the cache validity for each rule group; the default setting is “1,” which means the following according to SAP documentation:
The system reads the data from the database of requests only once a day for each employee. If a user chooses Refresh in the Web application, the system reads the data from the database of requests again.
You also set up the number of rows to be displayed on one page of the team calendar, which means the number of employee’s data to be displayed on one page.
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Team Calendar • Defi ne Layout of Team Calendar IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_LRQ_080
IMG Access Path Personnel Management • Employee Self-Service • Service Specifi c Settings • Working Time • Team Calendar • Defi ne Layout of Team Calendar IMG Activity PCUI_ESS_LRQ_080